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A. BROWN. 5Sheets Sheet 1. I ELECTRIC LAMP. No, 249,824. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

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A. 3. BROWN. ELECTRIC LAMP.

No. 249,824. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

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A. E. BROWN.

ELECTRIC LAMP. No. 249,824. Patented'Nov. 22,188I.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrca.

ALEXANDER E. BROWVN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRIC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,824, dated November 22, 1881.

Application filed January 22, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. BROWN, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Lamps, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My invention relates to that kind of electric lamps in which the light is produced by the voltaic arc, and known as the are type of lamp, and has for its object a better regulation of the movement or movements of one or both of the carbons, as the case may be, to insure the maintenance of the carbon points continually in the proper relative positions to produce a perfect equality of resistance during the time of their consumption, and thus insure a perfect steadiness of the light.

It has long been sought to provide for use in connection with the kind of lamp I have alluded to some practical means for so feeding either one or both of the carbon points, (according to whether the lamp be one in which only one or a lamp in which both carbons move,) or for so regulating the motion of the carbon or carbons of the lamp as to insure a perfectly steady light, and numerous contrivances have been devised, and many patented,

for this purpose.

The most successful form of regulator, practically, with which I am familiar is that kind used in what is known in the market as the Brush light, and which consists, essentially, in a sort of friction-clutch, through which the rod or tube of the carbon-holder moves, and which is caused at the proper times to grasp or engage with the said rod or tube, and (moving it to the proper extent and-in the right .direction) to effect the proper separation of the carbon points and insure their retention just far enough apart to produce the desired result; but in lamps supplied with this kind of regulator the light is more or less unsteady, and frequently its unsteadiness is very perceptible,

' rendering the use of such lamps for some purposes very unsatisfactory and undesirable.

I propose by my invention to overcome this great difficulty in the use, for many purposes, of this type of electric lamp; and to this end my (No model.)

invention consists in the hereinal'ter-described novel means for regulating the feed of the carbon point, (or of both where both move,) whereby I am enabled to produce a perfectly steady and uniform light.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to more fully understand and to practice the same, Iwill proceed to more fully explain it, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and in which I have illustrated an electric lamp of the arc type, having my improved regulator applied thereto.

Figure 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical central cross-section, of an experimental electric lamp embodying my invention in a form in which I have practically tested it with perfectly satisfactory results. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the feeding device shown in Fig. 2--viz., the plunger, valves, and rods-removed from the tubular carbon-holder. The plunger is here drawn as if a section of it were cut out, in order to more clearly show the arrangement of the ports and the inside construction. Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views, showing slight'modifications of the improved regulator; but Fig. 5 is more complete than any of the others shown in the details of the actuating mechanism ofthc feeding device, and r is best arranged for general practical use. Fig. 6 shows another modification of the invention.

In the several figures the same parts, wherever they occur, will be found designated by the same letter of reference. A and B are respectively the positive and negative carbon pencils, one of which (the lamp not being a focusing-lamp) is permanently located in the proper position, and the other of which is suitably suspended or arranged immediately over the first-named, in the usual and well-nnders tood manner of arranging such carbon pencils, or, as they are sometimes called, carbon points.

The frame-work G of the apparatus, as shown, is about the usual form, and D E are the hinder-posts, to which are respectively connected the positive and negative ends of the wires through which the electric current is supplied, the current, when the carbons are properly adjusted, passing through them and creating at their slightly separated points the voltaic are and electric light, upon the well-understood principle of operation of this kind of electric lamps.

I" and F are two helices of fine insulated wire, of considerable len gth, suitably arranged, as shown, and through which passes a shunt current.

Pivoted to the lamp-frame at a is a lever, G, from one end of which depends by a linkjoint attachment, 1), a bar, H, from which latter hang two soft-iron cores, I J, which, as seen, are thus suspended respectively within the helices F F, so as to be affected by any axial magnetism that may be developed in said helices, for a purpose and in a manner to be presently explained. The other end of lever Gr may be provided with an adjustable counterbalancing-weight, as at K, and between this end of said lever and the point of its pivotal connection with the lamp-frame said lever has attached to it by a pivot, c, a bifurcated lever, L, in the forked end of which is hung by a pivotal attachment a pitman or rod, 1, to the lower end of which is attached a valvular plunger, 0, that works within a larger plunger, f, arranged within the tubular portion M of the movable carbon-holder M N. The plunger f is made to so fit the bore of tube M that when placed therein and the latter supplied with some suitable lubricating material, preferably glycerine, said plunger may be, with considerable exertion, moved within the bore of said tube, and said plunger fis so made with certain ports or passages, 1 in it that by virtue. of said passages and a proper movement or adjustment of the valvular plunger 0 to open and close them communication between the space above and that below plunger f in tube M may be created and cut off to either permit an easy and quick movement of plunger f in tube M, or to render any such movement necessarily difficult and slow, as and for the purpose to be presently explained.

The valve 0 is made tapering at its lower end, in order that by its movements past the ports'i in plunger 1" it may more gradually open and close them, and said valve 0 is, by preference, connected to the lower end of rod (Z by means of a ball-and-socket joint, so that neither the rod nor the valve may possibly be cramped in its movements.

For the purpose of a perfect adjustment of the valve 0 vertically in relation to the plunger f, within which it works, I have the valve-rod d provided at g with a screw-couplerjoint.

The plunger 1' is suspended from the yokelike portion of lever G by two pitmen or rods, h h, which have their lower ends connected to said plunger preferably by ball-aud-socket couplings.

The lever L is provided, as seen at 7., with a light spring, the function of which is to insure the descent of valve 0 whenever it may have been lifted; and said lever has at Z an adjustable nut, designed to come in contact with the adjustable inclined stop at m, for the purpose of vibrating said lever on its fulcrum, in a manner and to produce the effect to be presently explained.

The operation of the apparatus or machine, so far described as to its construction, more particularly that part constituting the means for feeding and regnlatin g the movable carbon, may be thus explained:

Assuming the parts to be in the condition in which they would be during the disuse of the lamp, and supposing the connection to be made between the binder-posts and any suitable source of electricity, and then the carbons separated (by hand in this case) a short distance, the current passes through the posts. frame, and carbons in the usual manner, and the shunt-current, passing through the helices F F,- causes the axial magnetisms developed to draw downward the cores I J to a certain extent. This movement of the armature or bar H vibrates the lever G in a manner to make it lift the plunger f, suspended therefrom, which, in turn, lifts the tubular carbon holder M N, thus farther separating the upper from the (in this case stationary) lower carbon point, and causing the required length of voltaic are to be established; but as the parts of the machine make these motions, induced by the motive action of the said helices on said cores, the single or free end of the smaller lever, L, hasits nut l thereby brought into contact with the stop m. The said lever is turned on its fulcrum so .that its forked end ascends, lifting the valvular plunger 0, the eifect of which is to so open the ports of plunger f that the latter readily moves within its tube ill, and the result of this condition of the apparatus is that the carhon-holder M N is allowed to descend to compensate for the consumption of the carbon points in the production of the light, which, of course, tends to increase the distance which originally existed between said points. But

this feed of the upper carbon downward opcrates to establish immediately the proper degree of separation of the carbons and the minimum degree of resistance to the currcntin the development of the proper arc, and thereby the energy of the shunt-current and the axial magnetism of the helices F F are so correspondingly decreased that the cores and armature H are allowed to slightly ascend, whereby the lever L is partially relieved from the operation of the stop m, the result of which is that the valve 0 is forced to reassumeits former relation to the plunger j", closing, or nearly closing, the ports ofthelatter, and said plunger f thus prevents any further ready descent of the tubular carbon-holder M N.

In the above condition of the several parts the plungerfat all times, however, permits a very slow descent of the tubular carbon-holder, and it is only because this descent does not quite compensate for the destruction of the carbons (and the distanccbctween theirpoints, therefore, increases beyond the proper space) that the resistance to the main current be comes increased, and the energy of the shuntcurrent thereby increased, to effect such a condition of the parts, asabove described, as will permit a more rapid descent of the tubular holder M N.

that the moving or movable carbon has a con-' stant feed, (in this case by gravity,) but of a, slightly insufficient velocity, and the means for alternately augmenting the velocity of the feed (or, in other words, for releasing the feed from the influence of the means which insure the slowness, of its motion) and restoring it to its normal condition derives its motive power by reason of the variation of the resistance to the development of the voltaic are at the carbon pointsthe regulation of the feed of the carbon point, or of the distance between the points, must necessarily reach that degree of perfec tion which will insure a practically steady or still electric light. And it will, of course, be understood that this principle of operation of my improved regulator may be embodied in a machine differing as to the regulator device shown, both in detail structure and in the combinations of the devices herein shown and described.

At Fig. 4 of the drawings is shown, for instance, a modification in which the detail constructions of the main and valvular plungers are considerably changed, and where a single regulator-helix is employed, with the core that is operated by it arranged to work within a cylinder partially filled with'fluid to retard its descent by the magnetic action of the helix.

Fig. 5 is another modification of the plunger and valvular feeding device, operated by actuating mechanism more complete indetail than shown in any of the other figures.

In Fig. 5 the regulator also differs from the others described, in the application of its actuatin g mechanism to the carbon-feedin g device.

In the before-described regulators, Figs. 1 and 4, the shunt-current helices F F so act, in connection with the plunger f and valves e of the feeding device, as to cause a partial separation of the carbons, as well as a feeding motion of the same, while in Fig. 5 the plunger f is acted upon through the power of one or more helices in the main current F, causing from the start the separation of the carbons and the establishing of the electric. arc of desired length, while the shunt-current helix F governs and operates only the valve 6, ort-be feeding of the carbons, or the maintaining of the are at a constant resistance after its first establishment by the main-cireuit helix action, as first stated.

In Fig. 5 the lever G is connected to the armature H at I) and pivoted at a to the framestandard of c, and suspends from a point between these last, by the rods h, the plunger f, which, in turn, suspends the tubular carbonholder M. N when the valve 0 is closed.

The dash-pot P K,in pivotal connection with the extended end of lever G, serves the double purpose of dash-pot and counter-balai'ice to the armature and cores H I. The adjustable stop T determines the extent of motion of the lever G and its connected parts. The valve 6 is suspended from the lever L by rod 01. Lever L is pivoted to the armature end of lever G at c, the other end of this lever being connected to the armature I, orcore of the shunt-helix F, about coincident or concentric with the pivot a of lever G.

The core or armature I of shunt-helix F may be made, as shown, to serve also as its own dashpot, P, governing its motions.

The core I and lever L may be counterbalanced to any desired extent by the spring a.

The screw m serves to adjust the relative positions of the levers G and L.

From the above it will be seen that in the operation of the lamp the valve 6 remains unchanged in its relative position to plunger f until it is acted upon by the shunt-helix Fthat is, the two levers G and L-act together as one lever, G L, pivoted to the standard at a, and vibrated or moved by the armature H I when the helix F or the'main current alone acts to move them, and the shunt-current helix has not su'fficient current through it to cause the armature or core I to lift the lever L. Now, since any increase of current in the main helices F that is diie to any diminished resistance in the electric arc tends to decrease proportionately the current in the shunt-helix F, andvice versa, it is evident that in the normal working of this lamp the main and shunt-helix levers G and L, and likewise the plunger f and valve 6, will assume and maintain such relative positions to each other as will allow of such a rate of feed of the carbon-holder or carbons as will just compensate for the burning away of the latter, and thus maintain the voltaic are at a practically constant resistance, and therefore produce a perfectly steadyv electric light.

Of course by the proper changes within the mere mechanical judgment of the skilled construeter my invention may be applied in cases where it is desired to have both carbons move for maintaining a given focus to the light--as, for instance, in lights used with the lenses-and in practicing my said invention the main current, by a proper modification in the machine, may be utilized, in lieu of a shunt-current, to operate the regulator devices by reason of the increased or diminished magnetism of a helix, aecordin g to an increased or diminished resistance to the passage of the current at the point where the voltaic-arc light is developed, all as shown at Fig. 6. I therefore wish to have it understood that I do not desire my claim of invention to be limited to any of the precise details of parts shown,or to even the particular combination of devices shown, as other combinations of devices of different detail structure may be employed to compose a regulator contrivance or machine involving precisely, or substantially, the same principle of operation and invention which I have described as being peculiar to and as constituting the novelty of the contrivance herein shown and described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with either or both of the carbons or carbon-holders of an electric lamp of the are type, of a mechanism for effecting a constant but insufficient feed of one or both carbons, and for alternately increasing. the rate of speed of the feed and allowing it to return to its normal rate of speed in exact accordance with any increase or decrease in the resistance to the current at the point of development oi the light, as set forth.

2. In combination with the electrodes or carbons oi a n electric lamp and the actuating mechsentially, of one or more tubes containing a suitable liquid, in which is a plunger or plunor more of the carbons by causing one or more of the said piungers to either work less tightly within its tube (by the opening of one or more of the said valves or ports) or to work harder within said tube, (by the closing of one or more of said valves or ports,) all substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this 18th day of Januar 1881.

ALEX. E. BROWN. In presence ot' HARVEY H. BROWN, Tnos. WALTON. 

